


On Some Idle Tuesday

by calleigh_j



Category: Criminal Minds, West Wing
Genre: Crossover, F/F, Hiding My Heart Away verse, The Little Bang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-16
Updated: 2010-05-16
Packaged: 2017-10-09 11:42:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 19,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/86917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/calleigh_j/pseuds/calleigh_j
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emily Prentiss and Kate Harper meet in a bar; therein follows the progression of an accidental friendship to something neither of them ever expected to have</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. This Is How The Story Went

**Author's Note:**

> Written for The Little Bang challenge on LJ; thanks to twtd and llyfrgell for the beta work; title from 'Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)' by Baz Luhrmann; quotes within story from Brandi Carlile and Inara George

_This is how the story went/I met someone by accident_

Two women meet in a bar.  Things happen.

***

It was a Tuesday night and the bar was mostly empty.  A group of suit-clad men gathered around the far end of the bar, a couple cuddled close together behind a table in the corner, and Emily made up the entire clientele.  It wasn't one of her usual haunts, and certainly not the vibrant Irish pub she usually frequented with her colleagues in the BAU, but as a place to sit and examine her latest personal...misstep ('misstep' seemed somehow better than the 'mistake' it might more appropriately have been termed), it served its purpose.  Its dark, faded wood and worn leather contrasted nicely with the perpetually sunny image of Miami she couldn't get out of her head, so it worked on many levels.  There had been an offer of dinner with Garcia followed by drinks with the guys, but she'd turned it down with the weak excuse of exhaustion and the desire to go back to her apartment and sleep.

Sleep, she knew, would be a long time coming tonight, hence the beer and the introspection.  In general, Emily shied away from too much self-examination.  She had her compartmentalisation: her own patented system for dealing with every situation, and usually that served her well enough.  But for once, she had a situation she couldn't compartmentalise.  She couldn't fold it up and lock it away in a drawer inside her mind, and so it had come to alcohol and wallowing as a last resort.  
   
Honestly, she hadn't ever expected anything to happen.  She was attracted to JJ; that much she would admit, that much she could deal with.  Sometimes, she thought JJ was attracted to her as well, and that was harder to deal with.  She'd never been particularly good at understanding signals in her own life - her skill at profiling apparently didn't transfer to her personal life - but it seemed so obvious.  After Denver, when they'd sat on the plane and JJ had soothed her tired, raw emotions with simple words (_I can see it...you...kids_), everything had seemed possible.  But because she valued her friendship with JJ and her job at the BAU, she hadn't said anything.  She was grateful now that she had never mentioned her feelings to anyone; it was so much easier to deal with this knowing that no-one else knew.  The confirmation of JJ's suspected relationship with Will LaMontagne had seemed somehow inevitable.  Emily hated moping, but she couldn't stop thinking that she should never have even considered the possibility of a relationship with JJ, that she should never have expected anything other than perpetual loneliness. 

"Act like you know me."

With her eyes fixed firmly on the fraying coaster, the voice from above her caught her completely by surprise.  When Emily looked up, it was into the face of a very determined-looking and completely unfamiliar woman.

"I'm sorry?" Emily asked, unfailingly polite even when confused.

"Act like you know me," the woman repeated, "Unless you really want those guys over there to come over and start talking to you." The woman gestured over towards the group of men at the bar, and as Emily looked over, she saw that they were all looking intently at her and the stranger.

"They were, I believe," the woman continued, "just discussing the best way of getting you to have a drink with them."

Sizing up the unknown woman and the men at the bar, Emily put on her brightest smile and, standing up, proceeded to greet her supposed saviour like an old friend.  As Emily sat back down, the woman pulled out the chair on the other side of the table and sat down with her.  Placing her full bottle of beer down beside Emily's, the woman sneaked a surreptitious glance over at the men who had now turned their attentions to the small television showing a baseball game.

"I'm really sorry about that," the woman said, taking a long pull of her beer, "But I didn't particularly want to spend my evening fending off the advances of some drunk businessmen, and it didn't look like you did either.  I'm Kate, by the way.  Kate Harper."

Despite the intrusion into her planned evening of mournful introspection, Emily couldn't help but smile at Kate's explanation.

"Emily Prentiss," Emily said, "And really, I guess I should be thanking you.  Being hit on by drunk guys in suits was not in my agenda for the evening."

"So," Kate said, raising her bottle towards Emily's, "To mutual protection from drunk guys."

"To mutual protection," Emily echoed, clinking her bottle against Kate's.  A few moments of awkwardness followed as both women drank and Kate realised that, having acted on impulse and started talking to the lonely looking woman, she was now committed to making at least a superficial attempt at conversation.

"Uh, so," Kate began, fiddling with the label on her bottle, "what do you do?"

"I work for the FBI," Emily replied with no desire to discuss her job with a stranger, "And you?"

"I work in the White House."

Kate's short reply suggested to Emily that they shared a desire to avoid work as a topic of conversation.

"Here's a suggestion," Emily said, leaning forwards slightly, "I really appreciate you coming over here and everything, but I've had a long few days and I really don't want to spend my time off talking about my job with someone I just met.  So how about we ban shop talk for as long as it takes us to finish these drinks, and then we can go our separate ways."

"That works for me," Kate agreed.  Another long moment passed in silence before she spoke up again, "Having said that, I'm not sure I've had any kind of meaningful conversation with anyone other than a colleague in about a month."

"I can relate to that," Emily said with a smile, "I'm not sure what it says about us though that neither of us seems to have anything other than work to talk about."

"I think it says that we spend far too much time at work," Kate suggested, her smile mirroring Emily's as she took another sip of her drink.

"Okay, so, non-work topics," Emily mused aloud, casting her gaze around the bar, "Movies."

"Definitely not work," Kate said.

"Have you seen any recently?" Emily asked.

"Well, I fell asleep halfway through The Philadelphia Story a couple of nights ago, if that counts."

"You fell asleep in The Philadelphia Story?" Emily repeated with incredulity, "That comes pretty close to sacrilege in my book."

"Usually it does in mine too," Kate agreed, "But I'd been at work for two and a half days and I honestly couldn't keep my eyes open."

"Well, in that case, you're forgiven," Emily said teasingly.

"I take it you're a Hepburn fan then?" Kate asked, looking over to the bar as cheering announced some kind of progress in the game.

"Since the first time I saw Little Women," Emily replied.  Kate raised an eyebrow and Emily continued, "I'd just finished reading the book and my grandfather took me to see the film.  There was this little theatre in the town nearest his house and they showed black and white films every Sunday afternoon.  Jo was my favourite character and I just fell in love with the way Katharine Hepburn played her.  I spent the next six months wanting to be an actress."

"Bringing Up Baby was the first of her films I saw," Kate said, "but it never made me want to be an actress - I just wanted a pet leopard."

The remark about the leopard made Emily laugh, and Kate was struck by how it changed her face, how much more open and alive Emily looked than she had when Kate had first seen her that evening.  There had been something intriguing about her, sitting alone in a bar she clearly didn't belong in, and absorbed in something only she knew about.

With a topic of common interest, conversation flowed more easily as the two women discussed movies they'd seen, and those they wished they hadn't.

"Can I get either of you anything else to drink?"

Kate and Emily looked up, startled by the arrival of the barman.  The stack of glasses in his hand indicated that he had been clearing the tables of their empty glasses and bottles.

"Um, I don't know," Emily said awkwardly, conscious that she and Kate had agreed to finish their drinks and then leave, but also finding herself enjoying Kate's company.

"I have time for another drink," Kate suggested hesitantly.

"I'll have the same again then," Emily said, gesturing to her empty bottle.

"Same here," Kate said, and the barman took the bottles and headed back to the bar.  He returned a few minutes later with two fresh bottles.  No sooner had Emily taken a swig from hers than a phone rang, and both Kate and Emily reached into their bags to check.  It was Kate's phone ringing and she answered it reluctantly. 

"Kate Harper...did you tell him about...yes, I know...okay, I'll be there as soon as I can." With a sigh, Kate dropped her phone back into her bag and pulled her jacket from the back of the chair.

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely, "Predictably, I have to go back to work."

Emily grinned, "Yeah, I know all about that."

Kate shrugged her jacket on and slung her bag over her shoulder.

"It was nice to meet you," Kate said warmly as she started to turn towards the door.

"You too," Emily replied, "I hope your...whatever at work gets sorted out quickly."

"Thanks," Kate said, shaking her head as if she imagined it probably wouldn't be dealt with quickly, and she walked across the bar and out of the door.  Emily watched her leave.


	2. First Steps

On a Saturday morning, Kate was in her office.  She rarely spent any time there and was pretty sure that a significant number of her colleagues didn't even know where it was.  Still, on the odd occasion when she was actually there, she enjoyed having her own space and having a door between herself and anyone else who might want to talk to her.  Today, she'd gone there because she had reports to write and was being hounded when she tried to work in the Situation Room.  With a little peace and quiet, she had the reports done quickly and found herself with half an hour before she was due back in the Sit Room for an update.  She checked her e-mails and replied to the important ones.  Opening her browser on a whim, she went to Google and typed in the name that seemed to have been constantly at the back of her mind for the past few days.

Searching for Emily Prentiss gave her plenty of results, but none that she could tell straight off were the right person.  Sometimes being the Deputy National Security Advisor had its perks, though.  She picked up the phone and dialled the number of a friend of hers at the FBI.

"Agent Hanson."

"Danny, it's Kate Harper."

"Commander, what can I do for you?"

"I need a file please."

A few minutes later, her computer bleeped, announcing that she had new mail.  She printed off the attachment and read through the first couple of pages, feeling ever so slightly guilty as she did so.

Emily Prentiss, daughter of the Ambassadors Elizabeth and Alexander Prentiss.  Graduate of Yale with a Masters in psychology.  FBI Academy, field agent in various cities.  And for the past eighteen months, she'd been in the BAU.  Kate knew a few former members of the BAU, or BSU as it had been known then, from her CIA days. 

She flicked through the rest of the file but avoided reading anything in detail.  Getting Emily's file had seemed like a good idea before she'd done it.  However, Kate wasn't even sure why she wanted to know more about this woman she'd spent only a few hours with, and looking her up through an FBI contact seemed like a bad way to get that information.  Still though, there was no denying the fact that, for whatever reason, Emily Prentiss intrigued her.

On the first page of the file, beside the small passport photo, Emily's direct line was listed.  Kate stared at it for a few minutes, the numbers fixing themselves into her memory.  What harm, she thought, could calling do? 

The harm, she realised a few moments later, was that she really had no idea what she wanted to say and now she felt like an idiot.  She'd dialled the number listed and been put through to another agent in the BAU.  The agent had explained patiently, when Kate questioned why Emily hadn't answered the phone, that Agent Hotchner's team, including Agent Prentiss, was out on a case and that their numbers had as always been redirected through to other agents. 

"Can I take a message?" the woman asked.

"Uh, sure," Kate said, fumbling desperately for something to say, "Can you just tell her that Commander Harper from the White House called?"

Kate felt a little odd referring to herself as 'Commander' when, as far as she knew, Emily didn't know that was her title, but at least that way she felt she could retain some small modicum of professionalism.  She hung up the phone and covered her face with her hands. 

***

The stack of messages sitting on Emily's desk when the team got back from Arizona was blissfully small.  She flipped through them - three requests for profiles, one response from someone to whom she'd already sent a profile just before leaving for Arizona, and one that confused her.

_Commander Harper, White House._

Emily didn't recognise the number written underneath and she stared at the yellow slip of paper for a few moments before she remembered Kate Harper.  Back in the office the day after meeting Kate, Emily had looked her up online and had only been a little surprised to discover that her drinking companion was the Deputy NSA.  She'd guessed the other woman was military, from the way she carried herself, and in a position of some importance, from the few words she said about her job and the phone call calling her back to it.

Emily looked at the note as if trying to divine some deeper meaning from it until Morgan came up behind her, startling her from her thoughts.

"Exciting message?" he asked, peering over her shoulder.

"Just the usual," Emily replied, sliding into her chair and dropping the messages down beside her keyboard.  She worked her way through the profile requests first, sending a copy of each one up to Hotch as she did so.  The fourth message required a phone call and she spent ten minutes on the phone with a concerned sheriff.  Once that was done, only the message from Kate Harper was left.  Emily was in two minds: on one hand, she was curious as to why Kate had tried to get in contact with her and would have been lying if she'd said that she hadn't thought about Kate.  However, she was apprehensive, as she always was when new people entered her life.  Letting someone in, no matter how superficial the relationship, always brought the possibility of hurt. 

Pushing the message to one side for a little longer, she started working on her report from the Arizona case.  The outcome had been successful - two young men had been abducted and killed before they'd been called out, but the killer was disorganised and had left enough clues behind at the second scene that they were able to catch up with him and apprehend him before the third man was seriously harmed.  Still, there was plenty of paperwork to be completed before the case could officially be designated as closed.

For a little over an hour, Emily focussed on the case report, determined to get it done before the end of the day and glad for the chance to put off deciding what to do about the message from Kate.  But as she filled in the last few lines and sent the report to print, her attention was once again grabbed by the innocuous looking yellow paper on her desk.  She picked it up and looked at it once more and decided that, whatever the outcome, she had enjoyed talking to Kate and wanted to see her again.

She dialled the number and was put through to a switchboard.  After giving the operator the extension, she was informed that she would be put straight through to Commander Harper.  For a brief moment as she listened to the phone ring, Emily considered hanging up but told herself not to be such an idiot.

"Kate Harper." The voice on the other end of the line was clear and familiar.

"Uh, hi," Emily started cautiously, "It's Emily.  Emily Prentiss."

A pause had Emily reconsidering her choice and wondering if she shouldn't just have ignored the message, but then Kate spoke up and the panic subsided.

"Emily, it's good to hear from you.  I wasn't sure if you would call."

"To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure if I would either," Emily admitted.

"I'm glad you did," Kate said, and Emily found herself smiling.

"I called to...well, I mean I just wanted to ask," Kate continued, and Emily found the nervousness in her voice at once endearing and comforting, "I wanted to see if you were free for dinner some time next week."

It was Emily's turn to pause this time, weighing up the answer she wanted to give (_Yes, of course, I'd love to_) and the possible implications of that, and the distinct idea that she was thinking much too hard about a simple dinner invitation.

"Emily?  Are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm still here," Emily said quickly, "And I'd love to.  Get dinner with you, that is."

"Great," Kate replied and Emily was sure she could detect a note of relief in her tone. "I was thinking Wednesday?"

Emily clicked through to the calendar in her e-mail programme, the one that linked her work commitments with those of everyone else in the team, and selected Wednesday.

"Wednesday sounds good," Emily said, "Though we can get called out at any time, and making plans only seems to massively increase the likelihood of that."

"Believe me, I understand that," Kate said, "But a tentative plan for Wednesday?"

"Tentative works," Emily replied, "Did you have anywhere in mind?"

"Do you know L'Adresse?" Kate suggested, "A friend of mine runs it - I'm sure he can get us in and wouldn't mind too much if we needed to cancel."

"I've never been there, but I've heard good things about it."

"How does 7:30 work for you?" Kate asked, "Tentatively, I mean."

"7:30 would tentatively be good," Emily replied, adding, "Maybe we should get in touch around six and check that neither of us has been swallowed up by our jobs."

"I'll give you my cellphone number," Kate said.

After exchanging numbers and awkward goodbyes, Emily hung up the phone.  She felt vaguely uneasy, unsure whether or not she'd made the right choice in returning the call.  Something in her head said she hadn't, and something in her heart said she had.  She had no idea where either instinct had come from, and was at a loss as to which was the right one to follow.


	3. Something More Than This

With uncharacteristic nervousness, Kate had left for the restaurant a good fifteen minutes before she really needed to and then, again due to the nerves, had walked considerably faster than usual and consequently ended up at the restaurant almost half an hour early.  Jean-Luc, the owner of the restaurant, was greeting customers at the door and welcomed her with a broad smile and a kiss on each cheek. 

"My dear Kate, I am so glad to see you here." Even after fifteen years in America, Jean-Luc still had a strong French accent.

"It's good to see you too, Jean-Luc."

"You are dining with a friend?" he asked, talking to her even as he greeted new patrons.

"I am, yes," Kate replied, shrugging her coat off as a waiter appeared beside her and offered to hang it up for her.

"You are early though," Jean-Luc commented.

"I know," Kate said, feeling her cheeks flush.

"Ah, I see you are perhaps eager to see your friend," he suggested with a teasing tone.

"I'm just a little early," Kate protested.  Jean-Luc was correct though: she was looking forward to seeing Emily again and that only made her more nervous.

"I'm a little early too," said a voice from behind her. 

Kate turned to see that Emily had entered the restaurant.  Her cheeks were a little red from the slight chill in the spring air and her hair was mussed as if she'd been running her fingers through it, and Kate found herself working hard to ignore the low burn that settled in her stomach.

"You must be Kate's friend," Jean-Luc said, gesturing for Emily to remove her coat.

"I'm Emily Prentiss," Emily said, extending her arm to shake Jean-Luc's hand. "Thank you so much for getting a table for us - I know you're busy."

"For a friend, there is always a table," he said with a smile, "I have put you in the back where it is not so busy."

Taking two menus from a stack on a table by the door, he threaded his way through the tables, between a set of frosted glass screens, with Emily and Kate following behind him.  'The back', as he'd described it, was a room slightly smaller than the main restaurant area and with roughly half as many tables.  At a table against the far wall, he pulled out the two chairs and gestured for the women to sit down.  He placed the menus down on the table in front of them and left, promising to be back in a few minutes to take their drinks order.   

"I'm sorry I'm so early," Emily said as she opened up her menu, "I just hate being late for things, so I usually end up early instead."

"I'm glad you're early," Kate said with a smile, "because it means it's okay that I was really early as well."

They spent the next few minutes in silence, looking through the menu.

"Do you want to get a bottle of wine?" Emily asked without looking up from her menu.

"That would be nice," Kate said, "I walked, so it's okay."

"You walked?" Emily asked, now looking up.

Kate nodded, "I only live a few blocks away and it's a nice night.  It seemed a shame to get a cab for such a short distance."

"Have you decided on drinks?" Jean-Luc asked, appearing beside their table again. 

"We got as far as wine," Kate said, "What would you suggest?"

"I'll bring you something," Jean-Luc said with a wink, and he headed back to the bar.

"So," Emily began tentatively, "I've been wondering something."

"What?" Kate asked, curious.

"Exactly how you got my number," Emily said. 

Kate had a sudden moment of panic - she'd been hoping Emily wouldn't ask that.  But she looked across the table and Emily didn't seem angry or annoyed, just interested.

"I may have called a friend of mine," Kate said evasively.

"A _friend_?" Emily asked, and Kate could hear amusement in her voice.

"He may work at the FBI," Kate admitted with a rueful smile, "I hope you don't mind."

***

Emily shut the door to her apartment and leaned back against it.  Turning her head to the right, she caught sight of herself in the mirror and was surprised by what she saw.  Her reflection looked...happy.  In the mirror she was smiling, the kind of smile caused not by a brief moment of amusement or the remembrance of something good, but by genuine happiness.  It was the kind of smile she didn't often see on her own face; in her work, there wasn't much time to focus on being happy, and out of work there wasn't much time, period. 

Kate made her smile.  Kate made her feel comfortable, and that wasn't something Emily felt with a lot of people, especially not people she met in bars and had spent only a handful of hours with. 

Pushing away from the door, Emily took off her coat and hung it up in the hall closet, boots joining it a few minutes later.  In the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of water and walked over to the large window.  DC was lit up and Emily watched the lights of the cars on the street below. 

A week ago (and it seemed like so much longer), she'd been sitting in a bar, pining over losing something she'd never even had and never truly believed she would.  Then Kate Harper had walked into her life, with her offbeat sense of humour and a gaze that held back more than it revealed, and Emily's sadness had waned.  Kate was attractive, Emily wasn't even trying to deny that, but she was interesting as well, fascinating even.  Emily had found herself wanting to know everything about her mysterious companion. 

Now, after a dinner that had stretched on far longer than a meal between two new acquaintances, Emily was glad that Kate had called her, and that she'd returned the call.  They'd talked all through the evening and had more cups of coffee than was probably healthy, neither of them seeming willing to bring the evening to an end.  It was only when Jean-Luc, Kate's friend, had informed them that he and his staff needed to close that they paid the bill and reluctantly left the restaurant.  Outside, preparing to go their separate ways, they'd made plans to have dinner on Sunday, or early the next week if either of them had to work. 

The actual goodbyes had been slightly awkward: did they kiss on the cheek, did they hug, did they shake hands?  In the end, Kate had said, "I had a really good time," and Emily had been unable to keep a slight blush from her cheeks.

"Me too," she'd said, and with an agreement to check in on Sunday morning and finalise plans, they'd gone in opposite directions down the street.

There was something there, something more than simple friendship, Emily was sure of that.  She had no idea whether Kate was gay or straight or somewhere in between, but there was definitely something there.  What would happen next, she had no idea, but even just the idea of spending more time with Kate made Emily happy. 

Finishing her water, Emily put the glass in the sink and headed towards the stairs.  Taking one last look at the DC lights, Emily caught her reflection in the window.  The smile was still there.


	4. Building Bridges

**From:** Emily Prentiss   
**To:** Kate Harper   
**Subject:** Sunday night

Hi

I had a great time Sunday night.  Sorry I had to rush out - duty calls and all that.  I'm in a hotel room in Little Rock, Arkansas, just waiting for the cars to arrive to take us down to the station.   
Hope your Monday's going okay.

Emily

**From:** k.harper@navy.mil  
**To:** Emily Prentiss   
**Subject:** re: Sunday night

Hey

Don't worry about it - you wouldn't believe the number of times I've had to up and leave someone in the middle of dinner or lunch...or basically any kind of meal.  Sometimes our jobs suck, right?  
How're things in Little Rock?   
My Monday's a pretty typical Monday - apparently I should never underestimate the amount of trouble people can get themselves into over a weekend.

Kate

**From:** Emily Prentiss   
**To:** Kate Harper   
**Subject:** re: Sunday night

We complain, and yet we keep going back.  I think there might be something wrong with us!  
Little Rock is hot.  Much too hot.  The officers here are at least glad to see us and willing to work with us which makes such a difference.  We've got a few leads, so hopefully we shouldn't be here too much longer.  
Are you free for dinner at the end of the week, assuming I make it back?

Emily

***

**From:** Kate Harper   
**To:** Emily Prentiss   
**Subject:** Thursday night

I think it's my turn to apologise now - national security emergency, you know what it's like.  
I think we might be cursed though.  It's been, what, four evenings now and three interruptions?  Not a good record.

**From:** Emily Prentiss   
**To:** Kate Harper   
**Subject:** re: Thursday night

We could try something that doesn't involve evenings - maybe we'll have more luck with that?

**From:** Kate Harper   
**To:** Emily Prentiss   
**Subject:** Mini golf

See subject line

**From:** Emily Prentiss   
**To:** Kate Harper   
**Subject:** re: Mini golf

That's your suggestion?  Seriously?

**From:** Kate Harper   
**To:** Emily Prentiss   
**Subject:** re: Mini golf

Yes, seriously.  It could be fun.

**From:** Emily Prentiss   
**To:** Kate Harper   
**Subject:** re: Mini golf

Yeah, we'll see.


	5. Like Normal People Do

Emily stared at the course in front of them.   
   
"You realise I've never played golf before?" she asked of Kate, who was standing next to her.  
   
"This isn't golf," Kate said, gesturing around at the booth they'd rented their clubs from and the groups of people scattered around the course, "This is mini golf - it's a completely different thing."  
   
Kate handed Emily one of the two clubs she had in her hand and a bright pink golf ball.  Emily looked down at the ball and then up at Kate.

"Seriously?"  
   
"Hey, mine's pink too," Kate defended, "Clearly, as two women, pink would be the colour we would choose were we given the choice."  
   
Emily snorted derisively and stepped up to the first hole.  She placed the ball carefully on the faded blue spot and stood up.  Turning sideways, she widened her stance and imitated as best she could the position she'd seen golfers use on television.  It was awkward and felt unnatural, but she gripped the club tightly in both hands and swung.  
   
Kate laughed as the ball flew through the air and landed in the bark on the other side of the low wall bordering the hole.  Emily turned and glared at her.  
   
"I'm sorry," Kate said quickly, raising her hands and taking a step backwards, "That was a very good first attempt."  
   
"This was your idea," Emily said, pointing at Kate, "I don't think you get to mock me for failing."  
   
Glaring, Emily stepped over the little wall and picked up the pink ball.  She wiped the bark and dirt off, then stepped back to let Kate have a go.  Kate was considerably more confident than Emily, taking a couple of small swings before striking the ball.  The first hole was easy - the hole was directly in line with the 'tee', with just a small ramp to get the ball up.   
   
"See, it's easy," Kate said as her ball sailed up the ramp.  It missed the hole, hitting the wall at the back and coming to a slow stop.  
   
"See, it's easy," Emily repeated in a mocking voice as Kate walked up the ramp to stand near her ball and Emily got into position to take another shot.  
   
"Keep your back straight," Kate advised, "And maybe hit the ball a little less hard this time."

Emily ignored her, swung the club back, and struck the ball again.  She had a little more success this time, getting the ball just up to the top of the little ramp.  She stood back and watched as Kate expertly - or expertly compared to Emily's minimal skill level at least - knocked her own ball into the hole.  Walking up the ramp, Emily lined herself up with the hole and tried to copy what Kate had done.  The ball rolled past the hole, six inches to the left, and came to a stop by the wall.  Emily sighed - golf was clearly not her game.

***

When Kate's phone rang, all Emily could do was laugh.  With a heavy sigh, Kate pulled her phone out of her pocket and answered it with a curt, "Kate Harper."  With a gesture of apology, she stepped off to the side and out of earshot of Emily and the other people around them.  Emily watched her for a minute, then looked back at the hole they were on.  They'd been at the course for close to two hours and had completed fifteen of the eighteen holes.  Emily had, as she feared, proved to be incredibly bad at mini golf.  She'd watched the other people around the course and listened and tried to follow Kate's suggestions, but still every shot went wrong in some way.

"And that would be me checking out," Kate said with a grimace as she walked back over to Emily.

"What is it this time?" Emily asked curiously.

"There's a thing.  They need me in as soon as possible."

'Thing' was the word Kate used for anything she wasn't allowed to talk about.  Emily wasn't sure whether to be amused or slight disconcerted that the highest echelons of national security personnel routinely referred to matters of national security as 'things'.

"I'll return these," Emily said, taking the club and ball Kate was still holding.

"Thank you," Kate said gratefully, "You know, maybe we should just go back to dinner?"

"I think that's probably a good idea," said Emily with a smile. 

"I'll call you," Kate said as she backed away, "I'm sorry."

Emily waved as Kate disappeared into the parking lot.  A few moments later, her own cellphone rang.  JJ's name flashed up on the screen and Emily couldn't help but smile.  It was oddly comforting to know that whatever else was going on in her life, she could always rely on a call from the BAU when she had other plans.


	6. I'll Tell You No Lies

_'Cause your eyes are tired and your feet are too/And you wish the world was as tired as you_

The restaurant was dark and quiet, despite there being people sat at almost every table.  There was a low background hum of conversation and the occasional spike of laughter, but Kate and Emily could talk softly and still hear each other easily.  
   
"I have a question," Kate started, swirling the last of the wine in the bottom of her glass.  
   
"Shoot," Emily said.  
   
There was a pause before Kate spoke up again as a waiter brought coffee over to their table.  
   
"Feel free to tell me to mind my own business or whatever," Kate disclaimed, and Emily looked deeply curious now, "I've been married twice.  I don't talk about it much, but you know about it."  
   
Emily nodded in acknowledgement and from the set of her shoulders, Kate divined that she had probably worked out what Kate wanted to ask.  Even she had, though, she was clearly going to make Kate suffer through her awkwardness and ask outright.  
   
"You don't talk about relationships.  Ever," Kate continued, "And when you do, it's always vague, always 'this person' and 'they.'"  
   
By now, Emily definitely knew what Kate wanted to ask.  There was a slight smile on her face and that gave Kate the conviction to carry on.  
   
"What I'm trying to ask, in a pretty roundabout way, is," Kate said finally, "are you gay?" Her voice got quieter as she spoke and Emily's smile dimmed a little.  
   
"Yes," Emily said, her voice as quiet in answering as Kate's had been in asking, "How long have you been waiting to ask?"  
   
"A couple of weeks," Kate admitted, "I hope you don't mind."  
   
"If I'd minded," Emily said, "I wouldn't have answered."  
   
"I'm guessing people don't ask you very often," Kate said.  
   
Emily shook her head and took a sip of her coffee before answering.  
   
"I don't talk about it a lot," Emily agreed, "I decided a long time ago that if someone asked me straight out, like you did, I would answer, but other than that, I wouldn't talk about it.  It just seemed...easier that way."  
   
"Do you ever want to talk about it?" Kate asked.  
   
"Sometimes," Emily replied and she sounded as if she was working hard to keep her tone neutral.  Kate detected a hint of resignation in her voice though as she continued, "I mean, it's not like I have much time for a social life, but on the odd occasion when I do go out on a date or something, it would be nice to be able to talk honestly about it."  
   
"What made you decide..." Kate started before stopping herself abruptly, "I'm sorry - this is supposed to be dinner, not me interrogating you about your personal life."  
   
Emily smiled again as the waiter came over and offered them more coffee.  
   
"I'm fine," Emily said, and Kate murmured her agreement.  The waiter left, saying he would bring the cheque in a few minutes.  
   
"Do you need to get home?" Emily asked, reaching into her purse for her wallet.  
   
"Not really," Kate said, "Did you have something in mind?"  
   
"It's a nice night," said Emily, "And I'm really not one for talking much about me, but sometimes it's just nice..." She trailed off as the waiter returned with their cheque.  
   
They split the bill equally, leaving a generous tip for the waiter.  They picked up their coats and headed towards the doors.  Outside, it was warm, the air a little heavy around them.  It wasn't particularly late, but the street was empty.  
   
"We could head down to the Mall," Kate suggested.  Emily nodded and they started off down the street.  
   
There was silence between them as they walked, but Kate could tell Emily wanted to talk.  It didn't take them long to get to the Mall, and that too was almost deserted.  Emily flopped down onto the grass and Kate joined her, noting as she did that thankfully, the grass was dry.  At night, Kate always thought, the city seemed so different.  It seemed to lose the stifling air of importance Kate felt it had during the day.  She liked DC better like this, dark and empty.  It held fewer expectations of her then.  
   
"I've never told my parents," Emily said suddenly, her soft voice filling the space between them.  Kate turned her gaze away from the lights of the Capitol towards her friend.  Emily was looking straight ahead, as if not looking at Kate made it easier for her to talk.  
   
"I think about it sometimes," she continued, "What I would say to them, how they might react.  It never goes very well.  My mother launches into some big speech about the proper way for an ambassador's daughter to behave, and my father never says anything - he just looks at me with this disappointed look on his face.  It's the same one he had the first time he caught me smoking, but it's so much worse."  
   
Kate didn't know what to say in response to that.  Her parents hadn't always agreed with her decisions - her father especially had never been keen on the idea of his younger daughter joining the Navy or, later on, the CIA - but they'd supported her nonetheless.  Supporting career decisions was clearly very different from accepting a sexual orientation, but still Kate hoped that if she'd told her parents she was gay, they would have supported her.  
   
"I dated a girl once," Kate said, laughing inwardly at the surprised expression on Emily's face when she turned away from whatever had engaged her attention to stare at Kate.  
   
"She was my roommate at Annapolis," Kate continued when it was clear Emily didn't yet have anything to say, "It's a huge cliche, I know, but we were young and both living away from home for the first time and even with all the rules, we had so much more freedom than we'd ever had before."  
   
"What happened?" Emily at last asked.  
   
"It ended," Kate said, and she thought back to those days when everything was so new and there were so many possibilities she thought there wasn't anything she couldn't do, "It wasn't allowed in the Navy, obviously, and our careers were more important to us than any relationship.  And besides, I think it was more about loneliness than any deep, undying love." Kate smiled - it was a memory she hadn't thought about in a long time.  
   
"I really wasn't expecting you to say that," Emily said.  
   
"I wasn't either," Kate admitted, and now Emily was smiling too, "But I figured if you were sharing, I ought to share too."  
   
***  
   
Kate couldn't sleep.  She couldn't get the image of Emily talking about how she imagined her parents might react if she ever came out to them out of her head.  Kate knew that look: loneliness and heartache and the belief that, whatever was wrong, she ought to be able to deal with it herself.  
   
After three months of a slightly unorthodox friendship, there was a lot Kate didn't know about Emily.  Emily hated talking about her family or herself in general.  All Kate knew about her family for certain, all Emily had ever told her was that, due to her parents' jobs, Emily had lived in five different countries before her fifth birthday, and that she didn't get on with either of her parents.  Still, there were other things she knew, things she could tell from the way Emily talked and the things she avoided saying.  None of those things were good.  
   
There was something else she knew now though, and that something was good.  Kate hadn't lied exactly when she said she'd been waiting to ask Emily for a couple of weeks, but she'd had her suspicions for far longer, almost since the moment they met.  It had occupied her thoughts as well - the possibility that Emily was, if not gay, at least not entirely straight.    
   
She'd noticed Emily the minute she walked into the bar that Tuesday three months ago.  It wasn't as if the bar had been busy, but Kate's eyes had been drawn to rich, dark hair and a 'stay the hell away from me' attitude.  Three months later, the attitude was gone, but the hair was still strangely enticing.  The hair wasn't the only thing Kate thought she probably wasn't supposed to find so attractive.  Emily had gotten to the restaurant a quarter hour after Kate that evening and from her seated position, Kate had spotted Emily as she walked in the doors and then had just watched her walk across the restaurant, distracted by the way her hips moved and the confident strut in her steps.   
   
"Kate?" Emily had said as she reached the table.  Kate had blinked and blinked again and dragged her gaze up to Emily's face.  
   
"I'm sorry," she'd said brusquely, "I was just thinking about something that happened at work."  That had stopped further conversation - shop talk was off limits as much as possible - and Kate had gotten away with her blatant staring.   
   
It wasn't the first time it had happened, but Kate found she couldn't ignore it any more.  She liked Emily, she was attracted to Emily, and maybe, although that was a more difficult idea than Kate cared to deal with at - she looked over at the clock - four in the morning, maybe she wanted more than what they already had.


	7. The Shape Of Things To Come

"...and then I pulled out my badge and said, 'Does it look something like this one?', and JJ and Garcia pulled out theirs, and he pretty much disappeared."

Kate laughed disbelievingly and Emily grinned at her.

"He actually said that?" Kate asked, "That he was a 'real FBI agent'?"

"I swear to god, that was his pick-up line." Emily shook her head.  That evening, as short as it had been, had been the first time she'd really felt like Garcia and JJ had accepted her into the team.

"I think that might be the worst line I've ever heard," Kate said, "And I've heard some pretty bad ones."

"I know - what is it that makes some guys think they can say such crap like that and we'll just fall at their feet?"

"An overinflated sense of importance?  A gigantic ego?" Kate suggested, draining the last of her beer.  She leaned forwards to put the now empty bottle down on the coffee table, misjudged the distance, and ended up knocking over two other empty bottles instead.  They rolled to the floor and thudded against the hardwood floors.  Emily laughed as Kate reached down and set the bottles upright.

"Someone's drunk," Emily said in a singsong tone.

"Well, someone else is drunk too," Kate countered, pointing at the bottles on Emily's side of the table, "And now we sound like we're in high school, comparing how drunk everyone is."

"God, I did some really stupid things in high school," Emily sighed, twisting sideways to lean against the back of the couch.

"Like what?" Kate shifted to mirror Emily's position and leaned forward.

"I went through a goth phase," Emily started.

"Who didn't?" Kate snorted.

"Oh no, I mean _really_ goth," Emily said emphatically, "My hair was insane and I wore _so_ much make-up.  My mother was so horrified she banned me from all her parties - I think that's why I kept it up for so long."

"I dated the worst guys in high school," Kate admitted.

"Really?" Emily raised her eyebrow.

"We moved around so much because of my dad's job and dating just seemed like the easiest way to fit in." Kate shook her head, "It worked sometimes, but god, some of those guys."

"It never worked for me," Emily said, and she was surprised as Kate looked to be by the sudden harsh tone in her voice.

"What happened?" Kate was all sincerity and concern now, resting a hand on Emily's knee.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Emily said, wanting to look away, but instead finding herself looking at Kate, and she really didn't want to talk about it.  Not even with Kate who somehow knew so much about her, even the things she never told anyone about.

Kate looked back at her before grinning and launching into a story about a football player she'd once dated.  It was funny and so very Kate and Emily felt that familiar heat flare in her stomach, tension coiling low.  She realised then that Kate had stopped talking and was watching her again, curious, and there was nothing Emily could do but lean forward and kiss her.  She half-expected Kate to push her away but instead Kate pushed her back against the couch.  It was, Emily thought, a really bad idea for them to be doing this.  She could list a dozen reasons why it was by far the stupidest thing she'd done in a long time, but honestly, she didn't care.  It had been building for weeks, this thing between them, and all Emily wanted was for them both to be naked.

Kate sat up, straddling Emily's hips, and grinned.  She started to undo the top buttons of her shirt and Emily reached up to the lower buttons, hands working upwards until they met Kate's in the middle.  Brushing Emily's hands away, Kate pulled the shirt off and tossed it onto the chair behind her.  She unclasped her bra and slid the straps down her arms, dropping it to the floor.  Emily lifted her hands, running her thumbs over Kate's nipples and feeling them harden beneath her touch.  Kate pushed into the motion, closing her eyes and tipping her head back.  Emily moved her fingers down Kate's stomach, along the waistband of her pants, and back up.  Leaning forward, Kate slipped her fingers through Emily's, pushing Emily's hands back and behind her head and kissing her hard.  Emily groaned into the kiss as Kate shifted and brought their hips together. 

"What the hell are we doing?" Emily mumbled, breaking the kiss.

"I have no idea," Kate replied, face still close to Emily's, "Do you want to stop?"

"Really, really not," Emily said emphatically. 

"Thank god," Kate said, closing the minimal distance between them and kissing Emily again.


	8. What's Done Is Done

A phone rang, and Kate's sleeping brain recognised it as hers.  Blinking hard to try and clear some of the sleep from her eyes, Kate fumbled around on the bedside table and finally found her phone, grateful that Emily had thought to bring their phones up the night before. 

"Kate Harper," she mumbled into the received, feeling Emily stir beside her.

Moments out of sleep, Kate didn't quite catch all the details the general was giving her, but she got enough to know that she was needed.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," she said, disconnecting the call and dropping the phone onto the bed.

"Who was it?" Emily's voice was hoarse and gravelly from sleep and Kate was apparently awake enough to register how sexy Emily sounded.

"I have to go in," Kate said with resignation.  She rubbed her eyes and tried to convince herself that she was more awake than she felt.

"I wish I could say I was surprised," Emily said, "But really, I'm more surprised one of our phones didn't ring last night."

"That really would've been typical," Kate said with a sigh. 

"There are clean towels in the bathroom," Emily said softly, "And I'll find you a shirt."

"You don't need to," Kate protested, forcing her tired body upright and stretching, "I have clothes at work."

"Go," Emily said, "Shower.  And if you have to save the world at..." she paused to squint at the clock, "At 4:17 in the morning, the least I can do is lend you some clothes."

Emily's shower was good: strong water pressure and water hot enough to blast some of the fuzz from Kate's head.  She washed her hair with Emily's shampoo - vanilla - and rinsed the lather out.  She stood under the spray for a few moments longer before reluctantly switching the water off and climbing out of the shower.  She wrapped herself in a large red towel and twisted her hair up into a smaller matching one.  In the bedroom, Emily had put a black shirt on the bed along with Kate's own jeans and underwear.  There was a hairdryer plugged in as well with a comb lying next to it.  As quickly as she could, Kate pulled on the clothes.  Unwrapping the towel from around her head, she switched the hairdryer on.

She walked quietly down the stairs, the beginnings of a headache forming in her temples.  She stopped on the second step from the bottom.  Emily stood in the kitchen, a short dark brown robe skimming the tops of her thighs, pouring something into a silver travel mug.  Kate moved again and the bottom step creaked, alerting Emily to her presence. 

"I made you some coffee," Emily said, fastening the lid onto the mug, "And I got you some aspirin - I thought you might need it."

It'd been a long time since Kate had anyone to do anything like this for her.  It inspired feelings within her that she didn't really want to examine too closely at this hour of the morning: affection and trust and comfort (she thought maybe, _maybe_ it might be love; not yet, not four months and one more than slightly drunken night into whatever it was that they were doing, but maybe someday, maybe soon). 

Evidently this moment of introspection was obvious on her face because Emily looked at her with concern and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Kate replied.  The words came out more harshly than she had intended and Kate continued quickly as Emily's face fell, "Sorry, sorry, I'm just tired.  Thank you for the shirt.  And the coffee.  And the aspirin," she added, gulping down the offered tablets with water from a glass Emily handed her.

"Have you seen my watch?" Kate asked, looking around the kitchen.  
   
"I don't think so," Emily said with a puzzled expression.  
   
"I know I had it down here somewhere," Kate said, turning around to examine the living room.   
   
In silence, the two of them checked all the obvious surfaces - counter, table, the arms of the couch - but the watch was nowhere to be found.  Emily got down on her hands and knees and looked under the couch, but couldn't see anything.  The phone by the door rang and Emily stood up.  
   
"I called you a cab," Emily said.  
   
"Thanks," Kate said distractedly, still looking for her watch.  
   
"I have a watch you can borrow, if you want," Emily offered, heading towards the stairs, "And I can look for yours some more later."  
   
"That would be good," Kate said, watching as Emily disappeared up the stairs.  She reappeared a few minutes later and hurried back down to Kate's side, a small gold watch in her hand.  Kate looked at it with amusement: it wasn't something she could picture Emily wearing.  
   
"It was a graduation present from my parents," Emily explained, slipping the bracelet strap over Kate's hand and fastening the clasp, "I don't wear it very often."  
   
As Kate shook her hand, checking the watch was secure, Emily fetched the silver travel mug from the counter in the kitchen. 

"Thanks," Kate said again, aware that she seemed to have been saying it a lot so far this morning.  
   
"I'll call you later, okay?" Emily suggested hesitantly, now empty hands twisting together, and Kate realised that Emily felt as awkward and unsure about the whole situation as she did and oddly, that made her feel a lot better.

"Yeah, sure," Kate said, taking the mug from Emily.  She looked at Emily and wanted to say something, but she didn't know what she could say, so she just squeezed Emily's hand and left.

***  
   
Kate covered a yawn with her hand and closed her eyes.  She understood that getting called in at all hours was part of her job, but sometimes she wished that people would think before they called her.  The situation that her summoned her to the White House from Emily's apartment could, had anyone taken the time to think outside the box a little, been sorted out without her presence.  It was important that procedure was followed, she was aware of that, but she felt sometimes that people skipped to the part where they were supposed to call the Deputy NSA in before actually evaluating the situation properly.  She glanced at her watch: it had been long enough since she took the aspirin at Emily's that she could take some more and she was grateful for that.  Her head was pounding and the headache that had been forming as she got out of the shower all those hours ago had rooted itself firmly in the base of her skull.  
   
Checking that no-one needed her for the next half hour or so, she headed out of the Sit. Room and in the direction of the cafeteria.  It was still early and the building was fairly quiet, so she made it there without having to talk to anyone.  She bought the largest cup of coffee she could, along with a blueberry muffin, and slumped down at one of the tables.  She swallowed the aspirin she'd taken from her desk on the way to the cafeteria and took a large gulp of coffee.  
   
"Late night?"  
   
Kate looked up, preparing to be irritated with whoever was trying to make conversation with her, but when she saw it was CJ, she relented.  
   
"Something like that," she muttered as CJ sat down.  
   
"How's the thing?" CJ asked.  
   
"Under control," Kate replied, referring to the situation that had had her in the White House so early.  She picked a small piece off the muffin she'd bought, popped it into her mouth and chewed it slowly.  The coffee and aspirin combination seemed to be working on her headache, and she felt better just for being out of the harsh lighting of the Sit Room.   
   
"So, hot date?" CJ asked, sipping her own coffee and looking curiously at Kate.  
   
"What?"  
   
"The late night," CJ clarified, "You've been out a lot lately.  Is there a guy?"  
   
"There's no guy, and it wasn't exactly a hot date," Kate replied, aware even as she spoke that she sounded evasive so she continued before CJ could hassle her for details, "Look, I don't really want to talk about it."  
   
"Whatever you want," CJ acquiesced and they continued to drink their coffee in silence.   
   
When Kate pushed back her sleeve to check the time, CJ spoke up again.  
   
"Nice watch," she commented.  
   
"Yeah," Kate said awkwardly, running a finger over the face of the unfamiliar watch, "I went to put on my normal watch this morning and the battery had died.  This was...uh...a graduation present from my parents.  I don't wear it very often..."

One of the junior officers assigned to the Sit Room appeared beside their table and informed Kate that she was needed back there.  Picking up her cup, Kate said goodbye to CJ and went back to the Sit Room. 


	9. Writing To Reach You

"Hi Kate, it's Emily.  Sorry - I meant to phone you earlier but we got called in.  I'm going to be out of town for a few days, somewhere in Iowa.  Give me a call when you get this.  Oh, and I hope there was nothing too serious going on this morning."  
   
"Hey Emily.  I guess you're probably on the plane.  Um, I'll try you again later."  
   
"Hey Emily, it's Kate again.  Call me back?"  
   
"Hi, sorry, I'm so sorry.  My phone died on the plane and I left it charging at the station and then...well, I'm sorry is the point.  We're going to be here at least until Monday, I think.  Everything's pretty frantic here, so I'll give you a call when I get back.  Sorry.  And it's Emily, by the way."  
   
"Hey Kate, it's Emily.  We're back - just got back in a few hours ago.  I have some paperwork to do, so I'll be in the office for a couple of hours, and then I should be at home, so give me a call."  
   
***  
   
The phone rang, and Emily lunged for it, leaning over the side of the couch to grab the receiver from the end table.  
   
"Hello?" she said breathlessly.  
   
"Emily?" The voice on the other end of the line seemed uncertain.  
   
"Kate?" Emily checked.

"Hi," Kate said and Emily could feel herself smiling, "When did you get home?"

"A few minutes ago," Emily replied, "The paperwork took longer than I thought it would, and then there was traffic, and god, I'm just so glad to be back."

"That's good."

There was a long, awkward silence. 

"Uh, I'm glad I finally got you," Kate said.

"Yeah, I'm sorry it's been so difficult to speak," Emily agreed.

A sigh on the other end of the line was followed with, "We really need to talk about what happened the other night."

Emily winced; she'd been looking forward to speaking to Kate but dreading this conversation.

"How about Thursday night?" Emily offered.

"I have a late meeting," Kate said, "Can you do Friday?"

"I think so," Emily said.

"Look, I have to go - there's a...thing," Kate said quickly, "I'll see you Friday at eight at mine - it's probably better if we talk somewhere private."

"Sure, I'll see you then," Emily started to say, but Kate had already hung up.  Emily sighed; she couldn't shake the feeling that Friday was going to be a particularly bad day.

***

Emily knocked softly on Kate's front door.  She was nervous, more nervous than she had been since the first time she and Kate had had dinner.  She had no idea where they stood with each other and knew the things they said tonight would either make or break their relationship. 

Kate opened the door and the hesitant smile on her face told Emily that she was equally as nervous as Emily herself.

"Hi," Emily said, holding out the bottle of wine she'd brought with her.

"Come on in," Kate said, standing back to let Emily in through the door. 

Though she'd been to Kate's house a few times before, Emily felt unpleasantly out of place now.  She followed Kate through to the kitchen, staying a couple of steps behind when she really wanted to wrap her arms around Kate's waist and hold onto her.  That kind of reaction was new to Emily.  She was never one to be clingy or possessive, but Kate made things different.

"It smells amazing," Emily offered, hovering in the doorway between the hall and the kitchen as Kate stepped over to the stove and stirred something in a large saucepan. 

"It's nothing much," Kate said, gaze fixed firmly on whatever it was that she was stirring, "just pasta and a sauce."

"Still," Emily said lamely, "It smells really good."

"It'll be ready in a few minutes," Kate said, pulling two plates from the oven, followed by a tray of garlic bread. 

"Can I help with anything?" Emily asked, still standing awkwardly not quite in the kitchen. 

"There are glasses on the table," Kate said, "if you want to open the wine."

"Sure."

There was a corkscrew on the table beside one of the glasses, and Emily twisted it into the cork.  She pulled it out with a pop and poured two glasses of wine.  She was about to offer help again, but when she turned round, she saw that Kate was already dishing up pasta and a rich tomato sauce.

"Sit down," Kate said as she carried the plates over to the table.

They ate in awkward silence.  Emily kept looking up from her food, but every time she did, Kate was looking down at her plate.  The meal was finished quickly and Emily declined Kate's offer of a second helping.

"I have dessert if you want," Kate offered, picking up the empty plates from the table and putting them on the counter beside the sink.

"I'm pretty full, actually," Emily said.

"I'll make some coffee then," Kate said.

Emily watched her hover around the coffee machine, fussing with cups, milk, and sweetener.  Emily wanted to help but Kate was giving off decidedly unapproachable vibes.  It seemed to take forever to get the coffee made, but then Kate was sitting down at the table again, both women looking down into their coffee cups rather than at each other.  Finally, Emily spoke up.  
   
"Okay, this is awkward."  
   
"You can say that again," Kate said wryly, still avoiding Emily's gaze.  
   
"This is awkward," Emily repeated, and Kate looked up from her coffee, unable to hold back a smile.  
   
"We have to talk about this," Emily said firmly.  
   
"I know," Kate agreed, "However awkward it may be."  
   
"We slept together," Emily said bluntly, earning a raised eyebrow from Kate before adding, "And that was probably a bad idea."  
   
"I'd go so far as to saw it was definitely a bad idea," Kate said emphatically.  
   
"But it..." Emily said, concerned at once that she'd dramatically overestimated how their night together had gone, "You know, the sex, that wasn't actually bad, right?"  
   
"God no," Kate said firmly, "That was...definitely not bad."  
   
"Then I guess we need to work out where we go from here," Emily suggested.  
   
"I think," Kate started hesitantly after a moment's pause, "I mean, I don't know, and this might just be me and probably this is an even worse idea than sleeping together in the first place because if anyone can completely ruin something like this, then it's me, but, and I realise I'm rambling here," she added, seeing the amused look on Emily's face, "but the thing is..." She faltered, took a breath, and tried again, "The thing is, I like you.  I like us.  We're good together and there are so many reasons why we should just pretend the other night didn't happen, but I don't want to." She took another deep breath and wrapped her hands around her coffee cup.  
   
"Maybe this is a really stupid idea," she said softly, "Or maybe we can make it work."  
   
Emily was lost for words.  She'd come here prepared for some awkward conversation about how it was probably best if they didn't see each other any more.  Instead, Kate had said what Emily had been thinking all week - that just maybe, they could make it work.  
   
"I'm sorry," Kate said suddenly, getting up from her chair, and Emily realised it had been a few minutes since Kate had stopped speaking and Emily hadn't said anything.  
   
"I guess I completely misread..." Kate was saying as she picked up her now empty cup.  
   
"Kate," Emily said, wrapping her hand around Kate's wrist as she started to head over to the sink.  Kate stopped and Emily could see the tension in her body.  
   
"You didn't misread anything," Emily said sincerely, "Everything you said was almost exactly what I'd been thinking since last week, but I'd convinced myself there was no way you would feel the same."  
   
Kate looked down at Emily's hand on her wrist, and then up to Emily's face.  
   
"You're serious about this?" Kate asked, caution clear in her tone.  
   
"I'm serious if you're serious," Emily confirmed.   
   
She pushed back her chair and stood up so she and Kate were face to face.  
   
"I can't believe we're actually talking about doing this," Kate said, slightly dazed laughter bubbling in her throat, "I mean, you know the Navy's rules on things like this, and it's not like your team even knows you're gay, and we both work all the time..."  
   
Kate's panicked rant was cut off by Emily kissing her.  Fumbling between their bodies, Kate managed to put her cup back down on the table so she could slide her arms around Emily's waist.  They kissed for a long moment, all the awkwardness of earlier gone now.  
   
"I think we can do this," Emily said as they broke apart.   
   
"We'll have to be quiet about it," Kate said, sliding her hands into the back pockets of Emily's jeans to pull them closer together.

"Then we'll be quiet," Emily agreed, curling her arms behind Kate's neck, "We'll make it work."

"We'll make it work," Kate echoed, pulling Emily in for another long kiss.

***  
   
There were no phone calls this time, and no alarms either.  It was a Saturday morning, early still because they were both used to early starts, and it was quiet.  Kate woke slowly, squeezing her eyes shut and willing herself back to sleep.  She was firmly awake though and sleep would not return.  She shifted a little, trying to get rid of an itch on her back, and suddenly remembered that she wasn't alone.  She was lying on her back and there was an arm across her stomach that didn't belong to her.  The entire right side of her body was pressed up against Emily.  Kate turned her head to the right and her eyes met Emily's.  
   
"Hi," Emily said.  Her voice was hoarse and it was only seeing her smile that made Kate realise she was smiling too.  
   
"Hi," Kate said back.  The arm across her stomach moved slightly and then Emily's fingers were tracing circles over Kate's hip.

"Are we crazy to be doing this?" Emily asked softly.

"Probably," Kate replied, still smiling, "But maybe a bit of crazy could be good for us."

"If it's anything like last night's crazy, I could definitely get used to it pretty easily," Emily said, her voice light and teasing.

Kate pulled Emily into a slow, deep kiss. Emily was right - getting used to this certainly wouldn't be difficult.


	10. Interrogation Techniques

"What?" Emily said sharply, turning on her chair to face Garcia as she suddenly realised someone was talking to her.

"I asked if you wanted to go for lunch with me and JJ," Garcia said, looking curiously at Emily, "Are you okay?  I had to say your name three times before you even realised I was standing here."

"Sorry," Emily replied with a wince, "I was just...uh...thinking about this case." She waved her hand vaguely in the direction of the stack of files on her desk.  Garcia just raised an eyebrow and Emily grimaced.

"So, lunch," Garcia said again, "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, let me just save this and I'll be with you in a second."

Garcia went off to join JJ by the elevator and Emily saved the documents she'd been working on, or at least trying to work on.  All morning she'd been distracted by the memory of her conversation with Kate over the weekend.

With jacket in hand, Emily headed across the rotunda and stepped into the elevator.  JJ had her finger on the button that kept the doors open; she released it when Emily was on the elevator and pressed the button for the cafeteria on the first floor.  She and Garcia were deep in conversation - Emily caught something about morning sickness.  Since JJ had told the team about her pregnancy, Garcia had been plying her with books and files of printed information from the internet.  By this point, Emily was sure JJ probably had information about what ought to happen from one hour to the next as her pregnancy progressed. 

It was odd to think that just a few months ago, JJ had still been pretending that she wasn't flying to New Orleans every other weekend to see Will LaMontagne and Emily had been happy to let her pretend that because while the relationship was still secret, Emily could hope that it wasn't that serious and that maybe something could happen.  Now, Will had moved away from New Orleans to live with JJ in Quantico, they were having a baby together, and as of two days ago, Emily had her own secret relationship to distract her.

When the elevator reached the cafeteria, Emily followed JJ and Garcia across the crowded room.  They picked up trays and made their way down the line, collecting what they wanted.  They paid and then looked around for a table.  JJ spotted one in a far corner and they headed over.  As they sat down, Garcia turned her attention from JJ to Emily.

"So..." she started, clearly hoping that Emily would pick up the conversation and talk about whatever it was that Garcia wanted to know about.  Emily was used to Garcia's favourite method of extracting information though and just looked at her friend with an expression that said clearly 'If you want to know something, you're going to have to ask me'.

"So," Garcia started again, "You've been awfully busy lately.  You haven't been out with us in three weeks and you were so out of it earlier I'm surprised you ever heard what I was saying."

"Come on, Em," JJ said, getting in on the act as she rested her elbows on the table and fixed Emily with a piercing glare, "Spill."

"Spill?" Emily echoed, playing dumb, "About what exactly?"

An upbringing in the political arena combined with a ten-year career with the FBI had given Emily a world-class poker face.  She rarely felt as guilty about employing it as she did now though.  She was sure she could trust her friends with her new secret - the secret relationship that sent a shiver across her skin whenever she thought about it - but she and Kate had agreed that they wouldn't tell anyone at all, even the people they trusted the most.

"About what's got you so distracted," Garcia said explicitly.

"I've just been really tired lately," Emily said, massaging her temples with her fingers as she spoke to emphasise the 'tiredness', "It feels like I haven't had any time to myself in ages and I just really haven't felt up going out."

Garcia looked at JJ, at Emily, and then back at JJ before saying, "Secret boyfriend."

"What?" JJ and Emily asked in unison.

"Clearly she has a secret boyfriend," Garcia said, directing her answer at JJ, "I mean, this is what you did when you were pretending you weren't seeing Will, so it makes sense."

"Guys, there's no secret boyfriend," Emily protested, but it was too late.  JJ was nodding her agreement with Garcia's suggestion, even as she flushed a little at the mention of her earlier secrecy over Will.

"We'll find out eventually," Garcia said.  Emily opened her mouth to protest again but Garcia shook her head and Emily closed her mouth again.  Arguing with Garcia when she'd made up her mind was pointless.  Thankfully now that JJ and Garcia had uncovered the supposed reason for Emily's distraction, they were happy to move on to other topics and Emily was more than happy to let them.  It wouldn't have to be a secret forever, she hoped, but she would live with the secrecy to have a chance of something with Kate.


	11. In This White House

It was a little surreal.  Emily had been in some of the most important and architecturally interesting buildings in the world and held no illusions about the romance of politics, but somehow the White House seemed bigger than those buildings and more than politics.  She looked at her friends and they all seemed to be similarly awed by their location, though Hotch and Rossi were doing better jobs of hiding it than the others.   
   
"Agent Hotchner?" asked a tall woman, looking straight to Hotch, "I'm CJ Cregg."  
   
CJ Cregg was, Emily thought, taller in person than she looked on television.  Emily considered herself on the taller side of average, but with CJ Cregg standing beside her, she felt short.   
   
"Ms Cregg," Hotch was saying, "We're honoured to have been invited here this evening."  
   
"The President is very impressed with the work that you and your team do," CJ said, "He wanted to personally thank you all for your service and commitment.  He's busy right now, but I'll come and find you as soon as he's free."  
   
There were a few people Emily recognised.  One, she thought, was the Belgian ambassador.  Another had been the US ambassador to France when Elizabeth Prentiss had been stationed in Italy.  She followed absentmindedly behind JJ and Garcia as they moved further into the crowd once CJ had gone.  JJ was subtly pointing out someone on the other side of the room; Emily glanced in that direction, and then continued her search for Kate.  She wasn't sure if the other woman was actually going to make it - Kate had told her on the phone earlier that she had a meeting which had the potential to go on long into the night, besides which her presence wasn't officially required at these sorts of events - but that didn't stop Emily from looking for her.

Neither of her teammates appeared to have noticed her preoccupation, or if they had, they hadn't commented on it.  Unable to spot Kate, Emily tuned back into their conversation just as the rest of the team came over, CJ walking beside Hotch.

"The President would like to see you now," CJ said and gestured for them to follow her across the room.  There was a brief, bizarre moment where something about Emily seemed to catch CJ's eye, making the Chief of Staff hesitate briefly.  The moment passed though and Emily fell into step with Rossi.

"Mr. President," CJ said as they reached the incredibly familiar figure of Jed Bartlet, "This is Supervisory Special Agent Aaron Hotchner and his team from the Behavioural Analysis Unit at the FBI."

Once Hotch had shaken President Bartlet's hand, CJ introduced the rest of the team.

"The Deputy Director has singled out your work for praise on a number of occasions and I would like to offer my sincere thanks for the work you all do," the President said.

Emily stood between Garcia and Rossi as the President spoke to each of them individually.

"Agent Prentiss," he said once he'd spoken to Rossi and reached Emily, "Your parents are the Ambassadors Prentiss?"

"Uh, yes, sir," Emily replied and found that talking to the President was actually vastly more intimidating than she'd imagined it would be.

Emily was barely aware of what he was actually saying to her, but hoped that she'd managed to say the right things in the right places.  He moved on to speak to everyone else else before thanking them all once more.

The team watched as the President walked away with CJ. 

"Well, that was...an experience," Garcia said, a slightly shocked look on her face.

"You can say that again," Morgan muttered from his position next to her. 

Having met the President, their reason for attending the event, the team split up.  Emily sought out the bathrooms and took a couple of moments to relax away from the busy crowd, as well as check her hair and make-up.  Despite all the similar events she'd attended with and on behalf of her parents, she still felt incredibly uncomfortable around these groups of people, all with their own agendas and so often saying one thing and meaning something completely different.  Taking a deep breath, she went back into the ballroom. 

She was just looking for one of the many waiters circulating with trays of crystal flutes filled with champagne when a voice behind her said, "Fancy seeing you here."

Emily smiled and turned to face Kate who, unlike Emily in her black ballgown, was wearing a dark grey suit.  A waiter came around and both women took glasses from the tray he offered.

"You met the President already?" Kate asked.

"We did," Emily replied, sipping her champagne and adding, "He's shorter than I expected him to be."

Kate snorted inelegantly.

"Seriously though," Emily continued, "he's very charismatic."

"He's pretty amazing to work for," Kate said as she nodded her head. 

"I can imagine," Emily agreed. 

They stood for a moment, looking at the many small groups and the odd person alone who filled up the ballroom.

"You wanna get out of here?" Kate offered.

"You have somewhere in mind?" asked Emily curiously.

"I was going to try and impress you with a private tour of the West Wing," Kate suggested with a smile.

"Well, you really don't need to impress me," Emily replied, "But I wouldn't say no to that tour.  I've actually never been here before."

Kate looked surprised, "You've never been here?  Not with your parents or anything?"

Emily shook her head.

"You definitely need that tour then," Kate said decisively, "We can go out over there." She pointed to one of the doors along the side of the room.

Emily looked around once more and, when she couldn't see any of her team looking for her, followed Kate towards the doors.

***

"...and that completes our tour of the West Wing of the White House," Kate said, opening the door and gesturing for Emily to walk through into the ballroom ahead of her.

"Is it weird?" Emily asked, "Working in the White House, I mean."

"It's a little surreal at times," Kate admitted with a nod of her head, "Sometimes when you think about what you did at work and you realise that you spent two hours in the Oval Office briefing the President, then you met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss the Middle East and after that you were called into the Situation Room...that's not what most people do at work."

Emily grinned, "You should write a book."

"I'd have to shoot anyone who read it," Kate pointed out as they hovered inside the door, "so I can't see it selling particularly well."

Emily's laughter felt out of place here.  Here was work, and Emily was nothing to do with work.  Kate was careful to keep work and Emily separate and having them together in one place seemed almost decadent: these were the two most important things in her life right now and to have them peacefully co-existing seemed more than she deserved.

"Emily!" Both Kate and Emily looked up at the sound of Emily's name being called.  It was Garcia who'd called Emily's name and she, Morgan, JJ, and Reid were walking over towards them.

"Where did you disappear off to, Prentiss?" Morgan asked, a glass of champagne in one hand and his other hand on Garcia's hip.

"This is Kate Harper," Emily answered, "She's a friend of mine, and she was just giving me a quick tour.  Kate, this is Derek Morgan, Penelope Garcia, Jennifer Jareau, and Spencer Reid."

"You're the Deputy NSA," Spencer Reid stated and Kate couldn't keep an impressed look from her face.

"Not many people recognise me," she said and he shrugged.

"I have an eidetic memory," he explained, "So I..."

"Kate." It was CJ interrupting them, approaching the group with a serious expression, "We need you in the Sit Room."

Apologising hurriedly to Emily and her friends, Kate followed CJ out of the ballroom.  CJ briefed on the basic details of the situation as they walked purposefully through the White House.

"Emily Prentiss," CJ said suddenly, seemingly at random, "How well do you know her?"

"Uh, fairly well, I guess," Kate hedged as they reached the top of a flight of stairs, "Why do you ask?"

"You seemed pretty friendly earlier, giving her a personal tour of the White House," CJ said, "That, and the fact that she was wearing a watch that looked exactly like the one I saw you wearing a few weeks ago - the one you said had been a graduation present from your parents."

Kate kept her face as neutral as she could, but she knew where CJ's train of thought was heading.  As Chief of Staff, and previously in her role as Press Secretary, it was CJ's job to notice things and to be aware of anything that could potentially affect the administration at large.  Had it been any other person, Kate could probably have convinced them that they were overreacting, that Emily just happened to have a very similar watch to the one Kate owned.  CJ was a different matter though; CJ was suspicious of coincidences like that.  Kate remembered the conversation they'd had the morning after the first night she'd spent with Emily - _"You've been out a lot lately.  Is there a guy?"_ \- and knew CJ would remember it too.

"Is this something we need to talk about?" CJ asked as they reached the door to the Sit Room.  It was phrased as a question but the tone said 'This is something we need to talk about'.

"When we've dealt with this," Kate said, cursing inwardly her stupidity in borrowing Emily's watch and Emily's stupidity in wearing the same watch to the White House, though she recognised that as irrational - how could Emily possibly have known that CJ had noticed her watch on Kate's wrist and that CJ would notice it on Emily's own?  "We can talk about it when we've dealt with this."


	12. Consequences

CJ finally caught up to Kate as the deputy NSA was making her way from the Oval Office back down to the Sit Room.

"My office, now," CJ hissed as she adjusted her pace to walk alongside the shorter woman.

"CJ, I really have to get down..." Kate started evasively.  She didn't need to be anywhere particularly quickly, but she'd managed to avoid the conversation she knew CJ wanted to have with her for almost three days and would've been quite happy to continue avoiding it a little while longer.

"You have to get to my office," CJ said emphatically, fixing Kate with the kind of stare that had suggested to journalists and cabinet members alike that they should probably do what CJ wanted.  CJ headed in the direction of her office and Kate followed reluctantly.

"I'm waiting for a call from the Chinese ambassador," CJ said to Margaret as she and Kate paused in the doorway to her office, "Hold everything else."

Margaret looked curious but said nothing more than, "Sure thing," before turning back to her computer.

Inside the office, CJ sat down behind her desk and gestured for Kate to take a seat across from her.  Kate did so, feeling uncomfortably like she was back in Annapolis, about to getting a dressing down for something she would maintain hadn't entirely been her fault or, if it had been her fault, was entirely justified.

"So," CJ began, flipping open a manila file on her desk, "What exactly is going on between you and..." CJ scanned the file, "Supervisory Special Agent Emily Grace Prentiss?"

"We're...uh...we're dating, I guess you would say," Kate replied, looking away from CJ's piercing gaze.

"Just so I'm sure I have this right: you, a Naval Commander, the deputy National Security Advisor to President Bartlet, are involved in a relationship with a female FBI agent whose parents are both ambassadors for this country."

"That would be correct," Kate said and wished for the hundredth time that she'd never lost her watch at Emily's.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" CJ exclaimed, clearly having to work very hard to keep her voice down. 

"I don't know," Kate said defensively, "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"If this got out..." CJ started.

"You don't think I know what would happen if people found out about this?" Kate snapped angrily, interrupting CJ before she could get going, "I would lose my job here; be discharged from the Navy; lose my pension and everything I've worked so hard for.  I'm not stupid, CJ - I didn't go into this with my eyes closed."

"Well, it sure seems like you did," CJ retorted, "I mean, how could you think no-one would find out?"

"No-one had until you did," Kate pointed out, "Why would anyone suspect anything?  I'm not you or Josh or Toby - I'm not in the public eye like you are.  Most people don't even know my name, let alone recognise me.  I go out and I have dinner with another woman.  We don't hold hands, we don't walk around arm in arm, we don't play footsie under the table - we're just two friends enjoying a meal together."

"And if someone saw you leaving her house, or her leaving yours?" CJ asked, her voice a little less harsh now.

"Then we had dinner, had a bit too much to drink, and decided to crash on the couch or in the spare room rather than drive home drunk," Kate said, "Look, CJ, I know it's not a good situation.  I know the consequences if we were to be found out.  I know it would be bad for me and it would be bad for this administration, but we're careful."

"How long have you been seeing her?" CJ asked, closing the file and leaning back in her chair.

"A few months," Kate replied.

"How did you meet?"

"In a bar," Kate answered and CJ looked curiously at her, "I went in for a drink, she was there, and things...happened."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" CJ was less Chief of Staff now and more just Kate's friend and Kate was grateful for that.

"We're being careful," Kate said quietly, starting to feel like a broken record, "And we'll be more careful - no sharing watches again, certainly," she added with a smirk, "But I'm not ending it.  I know that would be the safest thing to do, but it's not a question of safe."

CJ was looking straight at her now and Kate held her gaze.

"She makes me happy, CJ.  She makes me smile and laugh and leave work on time and it's been a really long time since I had someone like that in my life."

There was a knock on the door and CJ called, "Come in."

"The Chinese ambassador's on line one for you," Margaret said, stepping just inside the doorway and looking with great interest at Kate.

"Are we done?" Kate asked as she sat forward in her chair, ready to leave.

"We're done," CJ replied.

***

"How did she take it?" Emily asked as she and Kate lay in bed that evening.

"She was actually pretty okay about it," Kate said, rolling onto her side so she could look at Emily, "She yelled a bit, or came as close to yelling as she could given the fact that we were talking about me dating you a few feet away from the Oval Office - did I know what I was doing, did I know what would happen if we got found out, that kind of stuff.  And I told her that, yeah, I knew what would happen if we got found out and yeah, I knew what I was doing when we started this, and that I wasn't going to give this up."

"This is going to be difficult, isn't it?" Emily asked quietly, "I mean, who knows how long we could have to keep this quiet?"

"It could be a long time," Kate agreed.

"I've never been much for sharing personal things with people," Emily said, and Kate could hear something in her voice that sounded wrong, "But this feels different from just not talking about it - we're actively lying about it..."

"We have to," Kate said, sitting up and putting a little more distance between herself and Emily, "Look, are you still okay with this?  Are you having second thoughts?"

"No, no, not all," Emily said quickly.  She sat up and closed the distance Kate and put between them, resting her hands on Kate's bare upper arms, "I am absolutely not having second thoughts about this.  That is not for a minute what I meant.  This..." She gestured between them, "This is amazing.  This is incredible.  I guess...god, I'm really not good at talking about things like this," Emily said with a shake of her head.

"I love you," Kate said suddenly, and then clapped a hand across her mouth, "I'm sorry, I don't know where that came from," she said through her fingers.  She couldn't believe she'd said that out loud: she'd barely even thought the words to herself.  But there was something about the moment of fear when she'd been convinced that Emily was going to announce that they should break up, coupled with the flood of relief when she realised that wasn't the case, and the words had just come out. 

"I love you too," Emily said, her sincere tone bringing Kate out of her own thoughts. 

The couple lay there for a minute, grinning stupidly at one another and basking in the warm glow of the shared admissions.

"What I was trying say earlier," Emily began, "is that I know this is hard, and I know it must be harder for you because it's you who would be the most affected if the wrong people found out about us.  But I understand that, and I understand how important your work is to you and no matter how hard it gets, I would never ask you to give that up for this."

"Thank you," Kate said softly, leaning in to kiss Emily. 

This was the first hurdle their relationship had faced and they'd cleared it with feet to spare.  Kate was starting to really see a future with Emily and for once, she wasn't scared, she wasn't thinking of running or throwing herself further into work until she was simply left alone.  She was thinking of Emily.


	13. Out Of The Bag

"I'm fine," Emily had said earlier that evening as she brushed off the invitation to drinks with JJ and Garcia, "I'm just tired and it would be nice to see the inside of my own apartment for more than the time it takes to shower, change, and repack my ready bag."

She was tired, and she was happy to get back into her own place after four weeks of almost constant travel, but she was also happy to be seeing Kate again.  They'd known from the start that there would be times when their jobs would keep them apart, but one night and a few scattered phone calls over four weeks had been harder on Emily than she'd imagined.  She was so used to being on her own that missing someone when she was away was a novel experience.  So she was tired but more than willing to ignore that for a few more hours in order to spend some time with the woman who had rapidly become an integral part of her life.

She showered and dried her hair, pulled on a pair of jeans and a black sweater, and headed down the stairs just in time to buzz Kate up.  While she waited for Kate to come up from the lobby, she pulled the bundle of takeout menus from a kitchen drawer and flicked through them, searching for the one for the Thai restaurant a couple of blocks over.  She found it at the bottom of the pile and tossed it onto the counter before putting the other menus back into the drawer, shutting it just before there was a knock at the door.

Emily hurried over and opened the door to see Kate standing in the hallway, wearing a suit that told Emily she'd probably come straight from work. 

"Hi," Kate said, leaning against the doorway.

Emily stepped aside to let her into the apartment and Kate pulled her into a brief kiss.

"God, it feels like I've been away forever," Emily commented as Kate hung up her jacket and dropped her work bag by the door.

"But you have time off now?" Kate asked.

"We have the weekend for sure," Emily replied, "and hopefully Monday too, unless anything comes up."

"Let's hope it doesn't," Kate said before her stomach rumbled loudly.  She blushed and added, "Yeah, I haven't eaten since this morning.  Today's been crazy."

"It's going to be takeout again," Emily said apologetically, "I think the only thing still edible in this kitchen is coffee.  Is Thai okay with you?

"Thai sounds good," Kate said and Emily picked up the phone to call the restaurant.

Emily dialled the number and was put through on the first ring.  She placed the order - the same as they always had - and hung up.

"I can never get over that view," Kate said, leaning against the couch as she stared out at the bright lights of Washington. 

"It's pretty spectacular," Emily agreed, standing beside Kate.

They stood side by side for a few moments, gazing at the city outside the window.

"I missed you," Emily said softly, turning away from the view to look at Kate.  She really had missed Kate while she'd been away, but saying the words aloud was oddly nervewracking.

"I missed you too," Kate said and Emily felt her nerves disappear.

The window provided a convenient surface for Emily to push Kate back against as she kissed her.  Kate slid her hands up to tangle them in Emily's hair and Emily slipped her leg between Kate's, her knee resting against the window.

As Emily's hands were inching up the back of Kate's shirt, they were interrupted by a knock at the door and Emily reluctantly pulled away from Kate, saying, "That'll be the food."

"Worst timing ever," Kate groaned, leaning her head back against the cold glass.

There was another knock, this time more impatient, and the women laughed as they stepped away from the window.  Emily headed over to the door, stopping by her purse to find her wallet.

"I'll get plates," Kate called as she went into the kitchen.

Emily was still laughing when she opened the door, wallet in hand.

"Oh," she said with surprise.  It wasn't the takeout, as she'd expected, but JJ and Garcia instead.  Self-consciously, Emily ran her fingers through her hair, trying to straighten it out from the mess she suspected it must be in.

"Ah ha," Garcia said triumphantly, turning to JJ, "Secret boyfriend.  I was right."

Emily winced before she could stop herself and then hoped, just for a second, that they wouldn't catch it. 

"What?" JJ asked, and Emily knew they'd seen her expression change, even if it was just for a moment.

"Come on," Garcia persisted, shuffling past Emily and into the apartment, "You knew you would have to introduce us eventually."

JJ followed Garcia in, looking half amused and half curious.  There was a long pause, and then Kate stepped into view from the kitchen.

"Hi," she said with an awkward wave, "I'm Kate, the secret boyfriend."

There was a moment of silence, in which Emily wished she had a camera to capture the looks on Garcia and JJ's faces, and then Garcia said, "Wait, Kate Harper?  From the White House thing?  Kate Harper the National Security something?  Kate Harper the naval commander?"

Kate nodded, "That would be me."

"Well, now the secret part makes sense," Garcia said, putting the bag Emily had just noticed she had in her hand onto the floor. 

"What are you guys doing here anyway?" Emily asked, remembering that the arrival of her friends had been completely unexpected.

"We were worried," JJ said, and there was something in her voice that told Emily she wasn't happy, "You pretty much just disappeared once we got back.  Will's looking after Henry for the evening and we figured you might want some company."

"We brought food," Garcia added, picking up the bag again.

The doorbell rang again.

"I'll get that," Kate said, stepping past them and heading over to the door.  This time, it was the Thai they'd ordered.

"Do you want us to go?" Garcia asked quietly.

"No," Emily said uncertainly, "No," she said again, this time more firmly, "Stay.  There's plenty of food, and it's probably time I told you about...this," she finished weakly, gesturing between herself and Kate. 

A few minutes later, the four of them were sat around Emily's coffee table, cartons of food spread out across it along with four bottles of beer.

"So, how long has this been going on?" Garcia asked, reaching across the table for a carton.

"About seven months," Emily replied.

"Why didn't you tell us?" JJ asked, and the hurt tone in her voice irritated Emily.

"For the same reason you didn't tell any of us about you and Will," Emily snapped, "Because I wanted to have something to myself, something that wasn't anything to do with the BAU.  Because I wanted to have a life."

JJ looked slightly embarrassed by Emily's mention of her secrecy over Will.

"Look," Emily said, her voice softer now, "I didn't mean to lie to you guys about anything.  We didn't mean for this to happen, but it did and by the time we'd sorted it out for ourselves, I felt awkward about bringing it up.  Besides, with Kate being in the Navy, we knew we needed to keep things quiet, and it just seemed easier this way."

"And you didn't tell us you were gay because...?" Garcia prompted with a smile.

"Because I didn't see why I should," Emily replied, "It doesn't affect how I do my job..."

"But you could've told us," JJ said, "I mean, did you think we wouldn't understand?  Did you think we'd...I don't know...shun you or something?"

"Of course I didn't think that," Emily responded, "But it's not something I tell people; it never has been.  It just didn't even occur to me say anything, especially before Kate.  It always seems such an odd thing to bring up without reason - you know, you're sitting there talking about sports or the weather and then suddenly it's 'Oh, and by the way guys, I'm gay'?  And on top of that, do you really think it would make things easier for me at work?  It's bad enough once people find out who my parents are; I don't want to give anyone any more ammunition."

They ate silence for a while, only speaking to ask someone else to pass something across the table.  Eventually, Garcia spoke up.

"So, Kate, tell us about yourself."

"You don't have to," Emily said to Kate, knowing how private Kate could be, and how much there was that, even if she'd wanted to, she wasn't allowed to talk about.

"It's fine," Kate said, "What do you want to know?"

"Let's start with where you're from," Garcia suggested, shifting to get more comfortable on the couch, as if she were preparing to watch a movie or something.

"I'm from Florida originally," Kate said, "But my father was in the Navy, so we moved around a lot."

"Family?" Garcia asked next.

"Garcia?" JJ asked suddenly, "You didn't do this to Will, did you?"

"Of course I did," Garcia said with a breezy tone, "It's my job to check out the people you guys date.  Anyway, please continue, Kate."

Emily couldn't help but smile: it was like some bizarre job interview but, as awkward as it was, she was incredibly touched that Garcia cared so much.

"Like I said," Kate began, "My dad was in the navy.  My mom stayed at home and looked after me and my brothers and sister."

For the next thirty minutes, while JJ and Emily watched with awkward fascination, Garcia quizzed Kate about everything from her school to her favourite music to her work with the CIA.  Emily was surprised by how much information Kate gave up.  Obviously when it came to her work, there was very little detail she could legally reveal, but she told Garcia, albeit briefly, about her two failed marriages and answered an assortment of questions about how she and Emily had met.  Finally, Garcia ran out of questions.

"So, does she meet with your approval?" Emily asked, half joking and half serious.  Although she had no doubt that her friends would like Kate, and at any rate wouldn't have ever considered ending their relationship if her friends didn't approve, it was nice to have them finally know and she wanted them to be happy for her.

JJ and Garcia exchanged looks.

"I pronounce her suitable," Garcia announced grandly, and everyone laughed.

"I'm glad I passed," Kate joked.

"And on that note," JJ said, looking at her watch, "We should get going."

Garcia protested for a moment but JJ shot her a pointed look and she relented.

"Yeah, JJ's right," Garcia admitted, "We interrupted earlier and we should let you get back to..." She waved her hands vaguely in the air and everyone knew what she meant.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Emily said as she walked JJ and Garcia to the door, "I really am."

"We understand," Garcia assured Emily, pulling her into a hug, "And your secret's safe with us."

JJ and Garcia said their goodbyes, and then Emily was shutting the door behind them. 

"That was...unexpected," Kate said. 

"Very unexpected, but I'm sort of glad they know," she admitted, "I mean, we're hardly going to be talking about it work or anything, but it's nice to have someone else know."

"I know what you mean," Kate agreed, grinning as Emily yawned, "Come on, I need some sleep, and it looks like you do too."

Emily nodded and, turning out the lights as they went, they headed upstairs.


	14. The End Of An Era

"Who got it?" Emily called from the kitchen as she stacked the dinner plates into the dishwasher.

"Glenn," Kate called back from the lounge. 

"And you're sure he won't keep you on as deputy?" Emily asked.

"He hates me," Kate said, bringing the two empty glasses from the coffee table in the lounge through into the kitchen.

"He hates you?" Emily echoed, looking disbelievingly at Kate.

"He hates me," Kate repeated, nodding her head, "There is absolutely no way he wants me working with him."

"What about Santos?" asked Emily as she stuffed the empty takeout containers into the trash. 

"I met with him this afternoon," Kate answered.  She opened the fridge door and pulled out two bottles of beer.  Emily handed her the bottle opener and Kate cracked open the first bottle and handed it to Emily.

"He wants me to stay on for a while," Kate continued, "Certainly while the Russia/China situation is so volatile.  After that, it's not up to him."

"It's up to Glenn," Emily finished. 

"Exactly."

Kate leant back against the counter, supporting herself with one hand while the other hand held her beer.  She lifted the bottle to her lips and took a long swallow.

"So what are you going to do?" Emily asked.  Her voice was soft and even after all this time, Kate found herself oddly choked up by the concern clear in Emily's eyes.

"I guess I'll stay on for as long as Santos needs me," Kate said, "And then...I don't know."

With a hand on her hip, Emily nudged Kate away from the counter and they went back into the lounge.  Kate curled herself into the corner of the couch and rested her bottle on her knee.

"What do you want to do?" Emily asked, looking at her intently.

"Honestly, I just don't know," Kate replied with a shrug, "It's never been a case of what I want to do.  I was eighteen when I joined the Navy and that was it: I went where I was needed and did what I was told."

"There wasn't anything you wanted to do when you were little?" Emily questioned, "I don't know - be an astronaut, be a ballet dancer, be an artist or an actress or in a band?"

Kate fixed Emily with a sincere look and said, "I wanted to be like my dad.  I wanted to join the Navy and see the world and solve all kinds of international crises.  I was going to be a one-woman army."

"Well, I think it's safe to say you've done all those things."

"I know," Kate agreed, "So the question is, what do I do now?"


	15. Inauguration Day

The team was in Oregon on Inauguration Day.  Three children were missing, all taken from playgrounds they had been visiting with friends.  When Emily and Rossi arrived at the first scene, still blocked off with yellow tape and guarded by two uniformed officers, the streets all around were empty.   
   
"I'm glad we're not in DC," Emily mused as she walked slowly around the perimeter of the play area, alternating between looking down at the ground for anything that might have been missed by the crime scene unit and then up at the area around, trying to get an idea of where the abductor might have come from, "I mean, can you imagine how busy it must be?"  
   
"According to the news this morning," Rossi said, standing in front of the swing set the child had last been seen on, "they were expecting crowds of upwards of one million."

"And I think most of the rest of the country must be watching on TV," Emily said, opening the gate and walking into the playground.  She walked around the perimeter again, this time inside the fence.

"Local residents say that kids often play here unsupervised outside of school," Rossi said as he opened the small notebook he always carried around and flipped to the page on which he'd been making notes about this case, "There were two adults here when Jamie was taken but both were looking after large groups of children and neither noticed any other adults in or around the playground."

"It's got to be someone who looks as if they belong here, someone who fits in," Emily said, abandoning her search of the edge of the playground as she completed a circle of the interior.

Rossi's phone rang and he answered it with a brisk, "Rossi."

Emily busied herself examining the playground once again until Rossi had finished his call.

"Hotch wants us back at the station.  Apparently Reid and Morgan got something from the third crime scene."

***

Later that evening, Emily found herself alone in her hotel room.  A little after ten, Hotch had suggested they go back to the hotel and try and get some rest.  They'd spent the day examining crime scenes and poring over all the personal information the families had provided about the missing children and, so far, there were no commonalities any of them could spot.  It was shaping up to be a difficult case.

Emily sat down on the bed, switched on the TV and navigated away from the hotel's welcome page and onto the first news channel she could find.  Unsurprisingly, the inauguration was the focus of the coverage.  Turning the sound down, Emily pulled out her cellphone and scrolled through her phone book for Kate's number.  She pressed 'call' and leant back against the pillows.  Kate answered the phone after a couple of rings.

"Hey, it's me," Emily said.

"How's Oregon?" Kate asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Emily said, grimacing even though she knew Kate couldn't see her, "How're you doing?  How's Washington coping with its new leader?"

"So far, everything seems to be holding up okay."

"What did you do after the ceremony?" Emily asked, "I know you said you had to be out of the building."

"I went to the movies," Kate replied.

"Seriously?  In the middle of the afternoon?"

"I know - it was pretty weird.  I went with Will and Charlie and we were pretty much the only people there."

"What did you see?" Emily questioned.

"Honestly, I don't even know," Kate admitted and Emily thought she could almost hear her smiling on the other end of the line, "I fell asleep about ten minutes in.  Good sleep though."

"So, what do you do tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow I have to brief the new staff," Kate said, her tone resigned, "And then brief Santos and the new senior staff.  After that, it's paperwork.  Lots and lots of paperwork."

Emily was about to comment when there was a knock at her door.

"Hold on a sec," Emily said quickly, holding the phone against her shoulder as she hurried to open the door.  JJ and Hotch were standing outside and from the pinched expression on JJ's face, Emily knew something bad had happened.

"Another child's gone missing," Hotch said gravely as JJ continued down the corridor, knocking on the doors of Morgan's, Reid's, and Rossi's rooms.

"I have to go," Emily said, bringing the phone back to her mouth.

"Go," Kate said, "Be safe."

"I'll call you when I can," Emily finished, snapping the phone shut and grabbing her coat to follow her team out.


	16. Endings And Beginnings

It was six days into President Santos' first term when the BAU team finally made it back to DC.  When they got back to Quantico, Emily was barely in the building long enough to drop off her files from the case and pick up the few things she needed from her desk before she headed down to the parking garage and out to Kate's.  The roads were blissfully empty - it was long past rush hour and the traffic lights seemed oddly cooperative and Emily was grateful for that.  It had been a long, difficult case and she was desperate to get back home.  When Emily reached Kate's house, she saw Kate's car parked on the street outside.  Emily got her garage door opener out of the glove box, pressed the button to open the door, and drove straight in.  She put the car in park and grabbed her go bag from the foot well of the passenger seat before climbing out of the car, locking it, and opening the door that led into the main house.

Emily could see lights on in the lounge and she walked across the hall and into the brightly lit room.  Kate was asleep on the couch, the TV quietly playing CNN in the background.  Emily walked through the room as quietly as she could, but Kate stirred and opened her eyes.

"Hey, when did you get back?" she asked, her voice hoarse from sleep.

"Just now," Emily replied, dropping her bag next to the couch and sitting down beside Kate.

"How was Oregon?" asked Kate, sitting up against the arm of the couch.

"Not good," Emily answered, shaking her head, "He killed six kids before we could work out where he was taking them.  We got to the last one just in time, but there are still six sets of parents out there planning funerals for their children."

"You did what you could," Kate said softly.  She shuffled along the couch to wrap her arms around Emily.

"Sometimes it just doesn't feel like enough," Emily said, her voice muffled by Kate's hair.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Emily pulled back.

"Anyway," Emily said, "How's your new life of unemployment?"

"It's...bizarre," Kate said with a smile, "Apart from going in a couple of times to discuss China and Russia with Santos, I've cleaned the entire house, sorted out all the junk in the guest room, and fixed the broken shelf in the garage.  I had lunch with CJ yesterday as well, and I've been to the store a lot."

"Very productive," Emily teased, earning her a nudge in the side from Kate's elbow.

"There was one other thing I did," Kate said, her voice suddenly serious.

"What?" Emily asked as she turned on the couch to look at Kate.

"I've submitted my request for retirement."

Emily's eyes widened and she knew the surprise she felt was written clearly on her face.

"I've done my twenty years," Kate continued, "And after doing what I've been doing for the past two years, being in command of a ship again or doing paperwork on a base somewhere doesn't seem quite as appealing as it used to."

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Emily asked carefully.

"I've been thinking about it for a while," Kate admitted, "I never thought I'd actually say this, but I don't think being in the Navy is what I want any more, not for my career and not for my life."

Emily opened her mouth, about to ask again if Kate was certain that she really wanted to leave the Navy.  She couldn't help but think back to when CJ had found out about them and how she'd promised Kate that she would never expect her to give up her job to make things easier for them, and she wanted to remind Kate of that, but Kate stopped her with a finger on her lips before she could get the words out.

"I'm not doing this for you," Kate said firmly, "Yes, it will be nice to go out and have supper without having to act like we're just friends and it'll be nice to be able to tell other people, but I'm doing this for me."

"Good," Emily said, wrapping her hand around Kate's and moving it away from her face, "I can't deny that the thought of not having to hide this any more is nice, but I said I would never expect you to give anything up for it."

"It won't happen immediately," Kate began as she shifted on the couch to sit more comfortably, "It could be as long as nine months before everything's sorted and it becomes official, but the process has been started and hopefully it shouldn't be that long."

"I can't believe you're leaving the Navy," Emily said with a shake of her head.

"I can't either," Kate said.  She rested her head back against the couch and looked up at the ceiling, "I'm retiring.  I'm leaving the Navy.  I will no longer be a member of the United States Navy."

Emily got the impression that Kate hoped if she kept saying the words out loud, they might actually sink in.

"Do you have any idea yet what you're going to do?" asked Emily.

"I'm not sure," Kate replied, "I've decided to embrace the freedom and opportunities of my new position."

Emily looked at Kate with a raised eyebrow and Kate shrugged.

"Yeah, I don't know," Kate said, "I'll work it out." She paused and grabbed Emily's hand, "We'll work it out."

Emily leaned forward and kissed her.

"Do you want to move in with me?" Emily asked as they broke apart.

"What?"

"I don't mean you just move in with me - I mean we could get somewhere together.  Somewhere for us," Emily elaborated, "When your retirement's official."

"You sure you want to give up that view of yours?" Kate's question was light-hearted, but Emily recognised the undercurrent of apprehension, the worry that hovered at the back of her own mind every time she thought about their future together.  _Can we do this?  Are we strong enough?  Will I hurt you like other people have hurt me?  Will you look at me one day and forget why you love me?_

"I'm sure," Emily said, a calmness in her tone that belied the nervousness she felt asking such a big question.

"Are you _sure_?" Kate asked again, this time without the superficial concern for Emily giving up her apartment.

"We can make it work," Emily replied with a confidence borne from what she hoped was the truth rather than any strong belief in her relationship skills.

"We could get somewhere bigger," Kate said after a few moments' pause.

"We could have a library," Emily suggested with a grin.

"You can give your Vonnegut collection pride of place," Kate teased.  She stood up and stretched.  Emily found her eyes drawn to the strip of skin made visible by the movement of Kate's top before her view was obscured by a hand.

"Come on," Kate said, smirking as she offered Emily her hand.  Emily took it and let Kate pull her upright. "I think we ought to celebrate."

"Now, how do you suggest we do that?" Emily asked, doing a poor job of feigning ignorance.

"I have a few ideas," Kate said, hooking her fingers through the belt loops of Emily's pants and kissing her. 

Emily fumbled around blindly on the arm of the couch for the remote and after few moments, managed to switch the TV off.  They backed awkwardly through the lounge, separating only when Kate's heels hit the edge of the bottom step of the staircase. 

Kate lifted her hands to frame Emily's face. 

"I'm so glad I met you," she said softly.

"I'm glad I met you too," Emily said as she wrapped her hands around Kate's wrists, feeling slightly bemused at Kate's sudden contemplative turn

Kate shook her head, "I mean...I'm just happy, I guess.  Happy with all this, happy with you, and it's...I'm not used to it."

Emily smiled, "I'm not used to it either, but I think I can learn."

"Oh yeah," Kate said, an expression of faux seriousness on her face, "It's going to be tough though, getting used to being happy."

"Very tough," Emily agreed, adopting Kate's teasing tone, "But I think we'll get through it."

"Definitely," Kate said, nodding.

"Now, what happened to celebrating?" Emily said.

Hand in hand, they went upstairs.

***

Two women meet in a bar.  Things end well.


End file.
